Botterill and Köhne triumph again in their TGRSA GR Hilux at Outeniqua 400
· Citizen
Guy Botterill and Henry Köhne led the Century Property Developments – Century Racing Outeniqua 400 from start to finish. With this, they secured their second victory of the season and the third for the TGRSA team.
They set the pace from the outset, topping the times in the 25km qualifying race before also posting the fastest time on the 95km first stage to end Friday with the overnight lead in a combined time of 01:24:27.
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Teammate Sa’aad Variawa, partnered for the weekend by Spanish navigator Oriol Mena, overcame a puncture in qualifying and another at the same spot on stage one to finish the day second, just 69 seconds off the lead.
Saood Variawa and Charan Moore opened the road for the field and ended the day fourth. A mere five seconds shy of the podium.
Ever changing conditions on both days made it tough for the crews. Picture: SuppliedA crash ends challenge
Saturday brought disappointment for TGRSA’s other two crews. Sa’aad Variawa and Mena, who started the day in second place, were forced to retire after clipping a hidden rock that gradually drained the power steering fluid from their Hilux.
Saood Variawa and Moore, who began the day in fifth, also failed to finish after rolling their vehicle. Fortunately both crews were unhurt.
“We were going well and our times were good in the splits. We were right on Guy’s pace and running strongly near the front for my first time here,” said Sa’aad Variawa after retiring from the race.
Tough day two
For Botterill and Köhne, the second day proved just as demanding despite their comfortable position at the front. “Really, really tough,” said Botterill after stage two.
“Super slippery, with lots of crazy big rocks. We hit one and had a bit of a tank-slapper that tweaked my wrist. I was glad to get through it. I really hope conditions are a lot cleaner and grippier next time we’re here, because that was crazy.”
Botterill and Köhne held firm through stage three to complete the event two minutes and 33 seconds clear of 2025 winners Giniel de Villiers and Dennis Murphy (#TeamHilux Rally-Raid), who finished second.
Guy Botterill and Henry Köhne were once again victorious. Picture: SuppliedStill in a great position
“I am very proud of the team this weekend,” said TGRSA Team Principal Shameer Variawa. “We’ve now won all three rounds of the season to date, and even though it was unfortunate that neither Saood nor Sa’aad were able to finish the race, we are still in a great position in the championship overall.”
With three rounds down and two remaining in the 2026 SARRC season, TGRSA’s attention now turns to the VAPS HCV Vryheid 400 in KwaZulu-Natal on 9 and 10 October.